mcfly 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2004 Marabou, who hasn't had this sneaky feather find its way into a coffee or soda. Marabou has the uncanny ability to slip into just about anything including your wifes cup of tea. For this reason one must always take measure to contain the beast. There are two options: A simple spray bottle. Wet feathers are less likly to set sail upon a sneeze or sigh than dry ones. A simple spray now an then keeps them attached to your benchmat or table top. (Be sure that the dye is not going to separate or if you are unsure use paper napkins or plates.) This helps when dealing with many feathers at once. Remember keep them lightly misted not soaked. Another option when working with small amounts of feathers is a straw. Cut into smaller sections the straw can be used to hold the feather in place while tying. It can also be used to keep feathers from floating off. Push the feather in and pull until the desired lenght sticks out from the straw, hold the straw down against the hook and tie just past the end. Straw parts can also be used to contain marabou in your flybox. Cutting a slot for the hook you can slide the short piece of straw over a marabou leach or bugger. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted October 19, 2004 What I do is keep a small cup of water instead of a spray bottle. That way no overspray. LOL. Usually if you buy commercially dyed feathers from a flyfishing dealer, they shouldn't bleed out. But I tie the feather in first (since I normally always am palmering them). Then get my fingers wet and fold, then palmer. When I do the wings, I usually don't get the feathers wet until I know how big of wing I am planning to use. Then I wet then cut it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
